Heskey: Rooney is world-class

09 June 2009 08:14

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Emile Heskey believes England colleague Wayne Rooney can rightfully call himself one of the best players in the world.
Heskey and Rooney started England's 4-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Kazakhstan on Saturday and were both on the scoresheet.
Rooney's 77th minute goal came via a superb finish and Heskey believes the Manchester United striker is one of the best players in the world.
"Rooney's not far behind the likes of (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo," said the Aston Villa frontman.
"At any given time, players like that can pull something out of the hat that can make a goal. Wayne's not far away from that."
Both players are expected to feature against Andorra at Wembley on Wednesday and Heskey also believes his strike partner's versatility makes him stand out from the crowd.
"Wayne might not like playing in different positions but he has the ability to do it - that shows how good a footballer he is," he added.
"He is different to the other strikers I have played with.
"He doesn't play directly up front. He drops off and mixes it around.
"He is a great player. A lot has been said about him. Now he is living up to it."